Let’s Keep 12 story buildings out of Rainier Valley

300+ Neighbors Petition City of Seattle City Council & Mayor to Vote No! on proposed rezone of Mt. Baker Neighborhood.

We are a group of concerned Rainier Valley residents from Mt. Baker, Columbia City, Lakewood and Seward Park neighborhoods that has organized in opposition to the zoning changes proposed for Southeast Seattle. Tired of Rainier Valley being treated as Seattle’s dumping ground by city council leaders beholden to private and not-for-profit developers, GOESSeattle is working toward growth in the Rainier Valley that is organic, equitable and smart. No 12 story buildings in the Valley. We welcome growth and density, but only in a manner consistent with our neighborhood character and neighborhood plan, not based on a model that has been tried and failed.

A 125 foot rezone at Rainier and McClellan is drastically out of scale with the neighborhood and will only fuel existing problems in the area, especially if a large housing project is built with limited or no parking. Traffic on Rainier Avenue South has worsened dramatically since completion of the Light Rail project on Martin Luther King. Studies have shown that the proposed bow tie traffic redesign (where Rainier is a one way street and Martin Luther King is a one way street around the light rail station) suggested to remedy traffic will instead increase congestion. Traffic redirection/restrictions will also drive out industry that has been in the Valley and has supported the neighborhood for decades. Property at Lowe’s is already zoned for 65 foot building heights, as are many of the surrounding lots. 65 feet is tall enough to meet the Growth Management Act targets set for the North Rainier Urban Center. We have the Claremont on Rainier at Walden at 65 feet and the Artspace Mt. Baker Lofts currently being built to 65 feet. We do not need a building twice that high just down the street. We urge you to vote against the proposed 125 foot rezone for Rainier and McClellan. 65 feet is tall enough.

Please sign our petition here to add your voice to our plea that the Seattle City Council consider the needs and values of the people who live in this neighborhood: